No cover-up of ASF case, agriculture minister insists
Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chalermchai Sri-on said on Wednesday that he had ordered the Department of Livestock Development to immediately investigate risky areas after a sample collected from a slaughterhouse in Nakhon Pathom was found to have a trace of African Swine Fever (ASF) earlier this week.
“The government did not cover up the discovery of ASF in Thailand,” he insisted. “After finding the ASF virus in one out of 309 samples that had been collected, the department immediately alerted the ministry’s ASF Prevention and Control Committee, which will launch appropriate disease prevention measures in affected areas as soon as possible,” Chalermchai said.
“The ministry will also report to the World Organisation for Animal Health [Office International des Epizooties] so that they can inform member countries of the situation in Thailand,” he said.
The minister said that after the ASF outbreak is confirmed, the Department of Livestock Development will announce the outbreak areas and restrict the movement of animals in a 5-kilometre radius from where the outbreak was discovered.
Animals suspected of contracting the virus or linked to the infected farms will be ordered destroyed, while the ministry will compensate the farmers.
Furthermore, the movement of animals outside control areas must be approved by a veterinarian and the Department of Livestock Development.
“The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a budget of THB570 million for compensation to farmers whose animals must be destroyed. This money will be prioritised for individual farmers who have a limited budget for disease prevention,” Chalermchai added.